Behind the Curtain of Mental Illness
“...because if you couldn’t stop crying it meant you had LOST YOUR MARBLES…” (King 443). This is a common quote mentioned in the novel The Shining, written by Stephen King. This line describes the main character Jack Torrance. In the novel, Jack Torrance plays the father and husband of a quaint three person family. Throughout the duration of the book, the family lives in the deep mountains of Colorado at The Overlook Hotel. King uses this hotel to create the plot by upsetting Jack and ultimately causing many conflicts for his family. In the story, Jack Torrance, while living in The Overlook, appears to go in and out of “crazy” episodes. Stephen King used the dynamic character of Jack Torrance to portray
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Psychosis is a syndrome that is made up of symptoms that others can see and that the patient experiences. These symptoms may include: mood changes, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, and unawareness of illness (Compton 35). Throughout The Shining, Jack Torrance displays many of these symptoms. “Okay. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I sounded mad, Wendy.” Jack said (King 392). King phrases Jack’s line in such a manner so that the reader believes Jack doesn't think he has a mental illness. This sense of unawareness continues throughout the entire plot of the book. Jack believes that he does not have a mental illness, while Wendy and Danny know that something is not right. Jack also has related to psychosis through his play writing, his primary reason for being at the hotel during the long winter. For example, a line of his play reads “And meanwhile people were knocking down the doors….manic depressives, suicidals. “(King 388-389). Suicide is a common outcome of those who suffer from Psychosis and the line “Jack could sympathize with Grimmer’s problem.” comes directly after this quote. One could then infer that Jack has had suicidal thoughts, similar to the characters in his story. Psychosis cannot be immediately cured, however, some potential treatments would be: hospitalization, confinement of the patient in a safe environment, sleep, and a good psychiatrist (National Alliance …show more content…
Bipolar Disorder, also known as manic depression, is a mental disorder that causes emotional highs and depressive lows. The highs and lows of Bipolar Disorder can present themselves as often as a couple times a week to just a few times a year (Bipolar). In Jack Torrance’s situation these mood swings come as often as once a day. These swings can be very dangerous to the family and friends surrounding the individual. For example, “The sound of Jack’s open palm striking Danny’s face was flat, not dramatic at all.” (King 445). At this point in the story, Jack is in one of his rages and harms Danny directly. Then Jack says “Danny, I’m sorry, you okay, doc?” (King 445). This model of immediate mood change is an example of Bipolar Disorder. Jack is on a high and harms Danny, then immediately becomes ashamed or depressed and apologizes. Another symptom of Bipolar Disorder is a manic episode. A manic episode is a certain time period of elevated mood. In The Shining, there is a flashback story that is often brought up about how Jack once had a student in his class at Stovington Preparatory who had a speech impediment. One day this student was caught in the middle of one of Jack’s episodes. The result of which was the strangulation of the student. Fortunately the student survived; however, this example proves that the disorder can be harmful to those around the patient as
So he agrees to take some vacation time. He takes himself and his family on a vacation or family camp c called patterville Up north. Where families and people can pretend the world isn’t going to hell. There all happy going swimming, hiking going to the beach meeting new people. But jack just couldn’t help but feel uneasy thinking it
In the movie “What About Bob” from the year of 1991, the main character, Bob possibly had borderline personal disorder and OCD. I did not chose this movie, I watched it in my high school psychology class. It was the first movie that I watched specifically because of a mental illness. In the movie, the mental illness wasn’t specifically specified by the psychologist. Bob knew something was wrong with him by showing that he always needed his psychologist.
When someone believes that it’s possible to time travel and get abducted by aliens, they clearly have a mental disorder. Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, though it is a fictitious novel, it contains serious and real content. It has its sadistic humor, but it is truly a war story where the outcomes are not good. The protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, is said to be unstuck in time and is abducted by aliens. Though, there is a lot against the reality of that.
As many readers read “Catcher In The Rye” many will agree that Holden exemplifies depression, feelings of worthless and lack of sleep. Although shows the symptoms of bipolar disorder: feeling confident, lack of concentration, switching on topics and a desire for sex. Holden Caulfield is an adolescent who shows various symptoms of sickness. Through the book he shows symptoms of bipolar disorder and depression: sleep disorder, feeling worthless, and no care which are all aspects of both. But one symptom that only bipolar disorder has, is the feeling of confidence, which isn't an aspect of depression.
Jack has a huge ego in this novel. However, I do feel that Jacks ego is what helps him to survive on the island differently than the others, instead of trying to get his hopes up of being saved, he focuses strictly on what any normal human being would do and that is to survive. Though only thinking of himself during his stay with others on the island does not help him to survive and better. Also, Jack has a masculine, brave, and strong personality. Jack’s ego can get in the way sometimes.
It is a manic-depressive illness and bipolar disorder can be defined by four different types. Although this disorder can affect anyone, it is most common in
Being a teenager can be difficult. Teenagers often experience new emotions that can become stress, anxiety, and even depression, if not understood correctly. The movie The Outsiders can be easily compared to the movie The Breakfast Club, because both pieces have a common theme of suicide. Johnny from The Outsiders hates his parents and struggles with life and the idea of suicide is constantly dancing around at the back of his head. In a similar way bryan from The Breakfast Club experiences suicidal thoughts, due to the pressure of his parents and the ability to keep up with life.
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a common mental disorder that is caused by genetics, the environment, brain structure, and chemistry. Bipolar disorder can often be misdiagnosed in teenagers since they are going through changes in their body and mind. One could see mood swings in a teenager and make the mistake of thinking he or she is going through normal changes. However, if one looks deeper into Holden’s character, one realizes that his mood swings, along with his excessive desire for sexual experiences, are actually symptoms of bipolar disorder. The first warning sign of his mental condition is when he buys Sunny, the prostitute, for the night.
People on medications who suffer from mental illness may not feel like themselves, so many people fear of losing their selves. Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that causes unusual and extreme shifts in a person’s functioning, mood and behavior further conveyed through erratic mood swings. However, the symptoms delusions of grandeur, and racing thoughts get in the way. It’s very important to be understood when dealing with a mental illness, furthermore remember to work out the manic episodes. The author, Adam Haslett, addresses a daily issue battling a disorder in the story “Notes to My Biographer”.
“Having anxiety and depression is like being scared and tired at the same time. It 's the fear of failure but no urge to be productive. It 's wanting friends but not socializing. It 's wanting to be alone but not wanting to be lonely. It 's caring about everything then caring about nothing.
“Excelsior”. It means taking all the negativity and using it as fuel to find the silver lining. In the movie Pat Solitano has many things wrong with him. Parts of him are broken and some parts are things that he has no control over. For the parts he has no control over I came up with 3 mental disorders.
In the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a group of men living in a psychiatric ward are dealing with different types of disorders. The character that I chose to observe and analyze was Billy Bibbit. Billy is a young man who struggles to speak without stuttering and make his own decisions. He seeks approval from those around him and is always worried he will disappoint those around him. Although some people at this psychiatric ward are committed, Billy is a voluntary patient.
Symptoms such unable to express one’s feeling because of fear, or someone having recurring nightmares that make a person scream while sleeping are strong evidence of symptoms mental disorders. These mental disorders are diagnosed with millions of people around the globe yearly. These mental disorders could be developed over years, therefore, they should be treated and not to be left
In the last few years, the representation of people suffering from mental illness in popular culture has greatly increased, showing actual teenagers that characters and idols have real problems in everyday life. One of the literary leaders in this psychological revolution is the novel, and recent film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Throughout this story, the viewer learns about different types of mental disorders from depression, to post-traumatic stress disorder, to schizophrenia. The events that occur throughout this storyline show real-life situations and struggles that teenagers go through. Stephen Chbosky expertly handles the topic of mental illness in the novel and film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
He sees things. He keeps quiet. He understands. The Perks of Being a Wallflower’s main character Charlie, is a wallflower: reserved, isolated, and observant. Like a fly on the wall, he stays in the background, and goes unnoticed by many.